Kids birthday parties cost

[llamamama]

Crazy high!

[starlily]

We did a party at home, around that size, for DD1 last year.

I think I spent around $200, with $150 of that spent on food. I did pizzas from Costco, and assorted snacks from Costco and TJs. The rest was on decor & favors.

I used Evites. And I didn't hire any entertainment. The kids just ran around and played with DD1's toys.

[h]

We usually spend around $400-500 on our kids' birthday parties, but that typically includes venue rental. I would probably budget more like $300-400 for a party at home unless I was planning expensive entertainment of some sort. I know we could do cheaper parties, but I don't really mind (especially since we don't do the pricey parties until they turn 4, and by 7/8 they seem to prefer having a couple friends spend the night over a big party, so we are really talking about maybe 3-4 parties per kid).

We spent about $475 on DS1's last party, but most of it was tied up in the venue. The breakdown was roughly:

$325 to rent an indoor pool with giant inflatable climbing structure in it
$15 invites
$20 favors (each kid got a water squirter from the dollar store)
$40 for plates, napkins, tablecloth and decorations
$75 for food and drinks (grocery store cupcakes, fruit, goldfish, and juice for the kids; bottled water, soda, and chips and salsa for the parents who stayed)

DS2's last party was probably about the same. The venue was about $100 cheaper, but it was over dinner time, so we bought pizza, and the favors and invites were a little more expensive.

[mainelyfoolish]

That seems crazy high to me. $300, maybe $350 would be my absolute maximum for an out-of-home party. (I am in a MCOL area.)

Here is how it would be if you did what my DD had for her last party:

Invites: 2 packs of fill in the blank invitation from Dollar Tree $2
Venue (if any): bowling alley $12/kid (so if there were 15, $180)
Food for 30: 1 slice pizza included for each kid with party (buy 2 extra pizzas to feed parents $20)
Cake: sheet cake from Costco $20
Drinks: soda included with party, bring a case of water bottles and some juice boxes $10
Plates, napkins, utensils, decor: all from Dollar Tree $10
Party favors: books from school book order and a few Pixy Stix $2.50/kid ($37.50 for 15)
Entertainment (jumpers, etc): included in above

So this party would cost you about $280. My DD's party was smaller, we paid for 10 (bowling alley minimum), had 8 kids show up, and the party cost us around $200. 

[shell24]

I think it's high for the stuff you listed. I'll be spending a bit more than that on my DD's next party but we're renting a pony and petting zoo, and having a ballon artist, face painter and magician.

Without all that stuff I'd expect to spend no more than a couple hundred max.

[mollybrown]

Doesn't seem crazy high to me if you have any kind of entertainment. You can easily spend $200 or more if you get a bounce house, magician, balloon twister, etc. And add another $50-$100 if you're serving alcohol, or getting a custom bakery cake. Heaven forbid you start browsing Pinterest and getting fancy decor ideas. You can do a party for $100 if you really want to, but extras add up fast.

[auberge]

I spent more than that last month so I don't think that's high. Lol we have 20-25 guest.

Quick breakdown
Bounce house, rentals (tables, etc)-$250
Food and booze-$250
Decor (invites, flowers, some forever items like tablecloths, serving platters etc) $250
Dessert and favors$140

[pinkdutchtulips]

I did dd's bday for 200 - 250 last year

$50 - invites, napkins, decor (Ty Oriental Trading Co.!)
$75 - food & drinks (no alcohol - public park)
$60 - her gifts
$40 - cake

I held it at a public park down the street that had 2 play structures and a creek to play in. The kids had a BLAST hunting down crawdads ! I skipped the goodie bags and no one noticed ....

[pierogigirl]

You could do it for less, but we usually spent about that. A bounce house here is $250 and we spent the rest on food (lots and lots of food), favors, and balloons.

Ds2 is having his at a kids bowling place and the birthday kids are $15 each plus we will buy overpriced food for the parents of the guests, plus ILs, and my mom. I hate going to these types of parties at lunchtime when there's no food for the parents. That bill will be $400. We also bought favors, balloons, and I bought some stuff to make decorations and the cake, cupcakes, and other treats.

The $500 did not include their presents.

But, we seem to really overdo birthdays and Christmas, so take that for what it's worth.

[krystee]

I don't think it's crazy high, but for $500, I'd rather have it at a venue to avoid food prep and cleaning!

[lindyanne]

I think that's really high for that many people. I never pay attention to what I soend but I have probably spent near that for parties twice that size. But If you have it and want to spend it I think it's fine.

[tiffany81]

I just spent that with a slightly smaller party.

Bounce house rental: 140
Chickfila delivery: 120
Other food and cupcakes: 40
Decor: 30
Invites: 20
Favors: 50
Other entertainment (games): 100

[dancingirl21]

For DS's 1st birthday we probably spent that much. But I went all out and had the food catered which alone cost $280. That was for 15 adults and 7 kids.

When it's a mostly kid-attended birthday party, I won't cater. I imagine I could do it for about $300.

[illgetthere]

I tho k the food is the part that's really high. For others saying they would do about that amount, their food budget is about half and the rest is venue rental or expensive entertainment.

Our birthdays are 150 or less. We have used an indoor play place during open play for $25 plus $7 per kid (less than 5 kids), we have private reserved an outdoor pool for $75, we have done parks or home for free. Invites are less than 10 from dollar tree, paper products are solid color for less than $1 from big box stores; we pay for 1 item with the theme then color coordinate to cut costs and not oover do the theme. Food is 30-50; we have done snacks, homemade, pizza, bbq, etc. Cake is 30 or less.

[imojoebunny]

Except for 1st birthdays, which are more adult parties with alcohol for us, I have he ever spent more than $200 on a home party, including party favor, which is always something nice (we usually do a craft or a game or something around the party favor, like paint a bird house, a treasure hunt to find a doll or car they can take home, or some other game that suits the theme of the party).

[dragonfly08]

I did DD #2s party back in September for under $100, which covered 9 girls including DD. Evites are pretty common around here so that's what I used...neither of my girls has gotten a mailed invite to a party in a long time.  I made all of the decorations, mostly huge 3D snowflakes (Frozen theme, of course!).  For entertainment I came up with a series of themed games (things like an indoor snowball fight, or Olaf beanbag toss where they had to knock over a stack of styrofoam cups decorated as snowmen). Since I chose a time that was between meals, food was snacky things like snowman trail mix (pretzel sticks, marshmallows, chocolate chips) and reindeer snacks (carrots), with a decorate your own cupcake bar. I hand made personalized necklaces for favors and that was probably the most expensive part of the party.

All of the girls had a blast. They couldn't stop playing the games, and decorating their own cupcakes was a huge hit.

If I planned to spend $500, I'd definitely have it out. We did pottery painting for 15 kids one year and still spent less than that, so the options are pretty wide open with that budget IMO.

[katb]

A little high, but not crazy high. My girls party last month was probably $350 and we had @40 people total (family and kids). Food was easy because we did hero sandwiches and other cheaper food.

Invites/decorations - $30 ($13 for the pdf file and the rest for ink/paper/balloons)

Food - $260
subs (rolls, meat, cheese, etc), shells and cheese, hotdogs, fruit, dips, chips, olives, pickles, cheese, veggies, cupcakes, cookies, krispies, punch, water, beer, soda, wine, ice

Paper supplies - $15
tin pans, plates, forks, spoons, cups, table coverings,

Favors/Games - $25
t-shirts for capes, felt for masks, sharpie packs, tape for decorating, stickers for decorating

I am sure they were a few other things I forgot.

My son's party we probably spent the same because he had grilled chicken, brauts, burgers, hot dogs, etc.

[Deleted]

It's not at all high here because many people rent places to have them (houses aren't big and don't easily hold 30+ people).

[mmmomof2]

I don't think it's high at all. I always go over, but $500 is my typical budget.

[v]

Let me guess -- you're asking not because you are planning a party, but because a friend is spending that on a birthday party?

[stealthmom]

For a non first birthday home party I'd do Costco invites, food and cake. No decorations really. Entertainment is the toys we have in the house and maybe a move from Netflix. In other words I wouldn't spend money on entertainment. We have plenty in the house already.

I had my older son's first birthday party at the local library for free. I paid maybe $100 for decorations from the dollar store. Everything else was from Costco except the cake which I had custom made by a coworker. I think I kept it at $300.

Now I'm planning stealthbaby's party and it's going to be over $300 to rent the venue. I just ordered all the deorations, plates, cups, napkins, utensils, and most of the party favor stuff for $160. Custom invites were cheap with a Groupon to Vistaprint. So that's $200 so far. So I still have to get the food, drink and cake. And any entertainment if I am inclined (which I'm not.) I plan on bringing an Ipod with speakers and making a table with some activities and let the kids just play. Plus there is a play room in our venue. I figure I'm in for at least $800-900.

[spanikopita]

Invites: $10
Venue (if any): $0 (home)
Food for 30: $75
Cake: $10 (homemade)
Drinks: $50 (alcohol)
Plates, napkins, utensils, decor: $30
Party favors: $15
Entertainment (jumpers, etc): newp